A computer network of the INTERNET type is well suited to the exchange of data between a computer terminal and a server called by this terminal by using the address of the server in the network.
As there are a very large number of terminals, it is impossible to allocate a definitive address to each of them, so that each is allocated an address which is provisional and variable from one call to the next, only when it makes a call, this address being communicated to the server in order to respond.
Thus, the number of addresses remains limited to the number of permanent addresses, those of the servers, and provisional addresses of the active calling equipment.
For this reason the inoperative terminals cannot be located, and thus called, since they are unknown to the network for lack of address. In particular, it is not possible to establish telephone communication directly on the INTERNET in order to transmit information such as the voice or data.
WO-98 37 665A discloses a communication process in which the user of a telephone calls the user of another device, via the telephone network, to invite him to connect to the Internet and to identify himself, in the same way as the caller, with an interconnection server which supplies each one with the Internet address of the other.
A process of this type involves both users in order to establish the initial telephone communication and then the communication via the Internet and thus constitutes a constraint especially since the person called could wish to refuse to establish some instances of telephone and Internet communication with undesirable callers and will thus be called in vain.
The present invention aims to simplify the task of users of the devices.
To this end, the invention firstly relates to a process for establishing communication on a first, computer network of the Internet type, between two devices of this first, computer network and of a second, telephone network, wherein
one of the two calling devices calls the other on the second, telephone network to invite it into the said communication, the called device connects to the first, computer network and receives a computer address,
the called device connects to a connection server of the first, computer network with which it registers itself at least by its computer address and an identifier known to the calling device,
the calling device connects to the server, transmits the identifier to it and the server transmits to it the computer address of the called device, and
the calling device, knowing the computer address of the called device, establishes the said communication,
the process being characterised in that the calling device transmits to the called device at least one identification signal of the calling device to invite it into the said communication.
Thus the called device can identify the caller and can itself decide, according to this identification, whether or not to pursue the process of establishing Internet communication. It will be noted that the calling device may be a terminal with a provisional address or a data server with a permanent address.
In one interesting embodiment of the process, the called device detects the identification signal of the calling device without responding to the incoming telephone call and the called device then calls the server. It is thus possible to avoid being charged by the telephone network.
In another interesting embodiment, the called device receives the identification signal and then responds to the telephone call and the calling device transmits thereto a request confirmation signal so that the called device calls the server.
The called party can thus distinguish conventional telephone calls from calls requesting connection to the computer network.
The invention also relates to a connection server for establishing communication on a computer network of the INTERNET type according to the process of the invention, comprising means for connection to the computer network, which are arranged to exchange computer address data and device identifiers with the devices, the connection means being connected to data processing means arranged to record computer addressxe2x80x94identifier pairings from devices, and to provide, in response to a device consulting the server by sending an identifier of a pairing, the computer address contained in the pairing, the server being characterised in that the processing means are arranged to receive the computer address of a device consulting the server and to manage a table specifying the computer addresses of two devices which are in communication.